Gus Elfving is the owner of Pet Peeps, one of Washington D.C.’s top pet care companies. Gus started his business in 2006 and has worked tirelessly to raise the standards of professionalism in the pet care industry. He has served on several committees for the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters and is the immediate past President and former Vice President of the National Capital Area Professional Pet Sitters Association. He also supports several other communities and organizations.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Gus went from trial by fire to really digging in and becoming an expert in his field

Clever ways to think about your branding

When it’s time to hire and how to do it

The debate: Employees or contractors?

How to find and keep stellar team members

How to find hires online

How to avoid burnout

How to do business in this new on demand society

How to network with other local small business owners

The rewards that come with owning your own business

Grace Steckler is literally a saving grace to hundreds of pet owners in Washington, DC. Founded in 2000, Saving Grace Pet Care has grown to be a thriving business with 25 employees and three franchises. In addition to Grace turning her business into one of the most successful pet care companies in Washington, DC, she has also owned a cleaning company and a handyman service. Being an entrepreneur has brought about many challenges, some great accomplishments, and a great sense of personal satisfaction for Grace. It has also allowed her to remain a stay at home mom to her three children, to travel, and to have a freedom that would be difficult to attain otherwise.

Grace has taken a very interesting path in life with several twists and turns. She has combined many different life experiences from living as a nun, to teaching high school science, to traveling abroad, to running her own pet care business. She took lessons she learned from each of these experiences to create a highly successful business. Her teaching background has allowed her to easily keep her furry clients and team on task while others often struggle to stay calm and in control. Her love of travel, new languages, and cultures keeps her motivated to put lots of systems and processes in place to keep her business running efficiently without her. It’s broken down to a science at this point - no pun intended.

In this episode Britt and Grace go into great detail on what it was like for Grace to franchise her business. Saving Grace Pet Care’s key to success is focusing on caring for it’s large team of 25 employees. This includes making sure they all have a healthy work life balance, are compensated very well, and are allowed to thrive on their own terms while still working effectively within the team and the franchise. The name of the game is “Win-Win”. Grace wants each of her employees to feel empowered and part of a larger mission, which has allowed her to keep many team players around for many years. Grace believes that the happier your team is the smoother your business runs. She shows her appreciation in many different ways. For example, randomly during the cold winter months she’ll email each of her team members a Starbucks gift card with a note thanking them for all their hard work.

Franchising is something only a few brave souls ever tackle during their business endeavors. Grace goes into great detail on the pros and cons of franchising, what your business goals need to be in order for the cost of franchising to be worth the investment, and how she targets areas to open new franchises. For Grace, her franchising journey started with a few google inquires, several interviews with many franchise lawyers, and then a lot of pain staking paperwork that took a year to get in order. In the end it was all worth it. She felt that empowering her team not as managers, but as business owners with the most mutually beneficial outcome for both her and each individual business owner. Franchising was the perfect blend of business, teaching, and freedom for the Saving Grace team.

In this episode you’ll learn:

- How Grace went from a 12 year career as a nun teaching high schoolers to becoming a business owner

- How she carried over skills from previous career as a teacher to her pet care business

- How to clearly communicate the job’s ins and outs to new hires and what that teaching process looks like

- How allowing her managers to work remotely has caused them to feel empowered and stay with the company long term.

- How implementing a win-win strategy in her company has created long term happy employees

- How to go from a single business to a franchise

- How to find help with hiring through Jazz HR.

- How to know if franchising is a good fit for you

- How changing locations can keep you from burning out.

- How she integrates her business into her family life which allows her job to feel less like work and more like life.

David Levin is the owner and CEO of Citizen Hound - a world class dog walking company located in San Francisco. David started his business in 2011 after working in the fast paced world of copy writing and advertising. Looking for more work/life balance, he decided to start a dog walking business. With his background in marketing and advertising, combined with his love of dogs, people and the great outdoors, David built his business based on creating long term committed relationships with his clients, their pups and his staff. His hard work and dedication has earned Citizen Hound countless awards including - Best Dog Walkers in San Francisco 2017 and 2015 in Bay Woof Magazine. Best Dog Walkers in the Bay Area 2017 in The Bay Area A-List. #2 in the A List 2016 and 2015. #4 in 2014 and 2013. And Best Dog Walker in San Francisco by the SF Examiner 2017. David also cofounded a Dog Walker Certification Course in response to San Francisco requiring a dog walker permit to walk dogs commercially. David is the type of entrepreneur who faces challenges straight on, and fights to find the solutions and answers to overcome his biggest obstacles.

In this episode you’ll learn:

1. How to get your business off the ground and accelerate growth.

2. How important relationships are in a service based business.

3. The pros and cons of buying a client list vs spending the same amount on advertising and sales.

4. Whether or not you should take out a loan in the beginning of your business.

5. Should you buy more client lists in order to expand your service business?

6. The difference between buying a client list and buying a true business.

7. The difference between selling a business and selling a client list.

8. Why systems are key to your business.

9. What if you were in a coma for a month? What if you break your leg? Can your business run itself?

10. How word-of-mouth is a snowball effect and how to get your brand out there

11. Why your website is key to your business’ success. It’s your store front as a mobile service business.

12. Why SEO is key to your business being #1 on Google and why this must be a priority for your mobile service business

Pro tip: Look at the businesses that are on top of Google search pages and how does your website compare?

13. How to develop your leadership skills as you build your team.

14. Why personal development and managing your stress levels are key to being a solid leader.

15. Ways to keep your service very personal even as you scale.

16. How to define your business model. Every pet care business is so different. Some businesses like David’s only offer five day a week dog hikes, others are fill in pet sitters for other pet sitters, some might just do one-on-one pet sit visits. There’s so many ways to model a business and the most important things is to create a business that fits your demographic, goals and vision for your future.

To learn more about Citizen Hound check out citizenhoundsf.com.

In this episode of Handling Business we interview Kristin Morrison, who is a celebrity in the world of pet sitting and dog walking! Kristin is the creator the Six Figure Pet Business Academy, the author of two books, Six Figure Pet Business and Prosperous Pet Business, a well known speaker, a podcast host and has successfully sold her own large pet sitting business. In the last 18 years Kristin has coached business owners in 49 of the 50 States. She has also produced countless webinars and products that have helped business owners around the world go from being burned out and unprofitable, to becoming business owners who see massive profits and gain more freedom in their lives. Kristin has a new book that she has just released called 30 Days to Start and Grow Your Pet Sitting Business.

What you’ll learn:

- How Kristin sold her own pet sitting business for six figures and how she prepared her business for sale by not just selling a client list, but by putting the processes and systems in place to get a higher valuation.

- Tips for battling burnout and how to work towards freedom from tedious long hours.

- How to hire a great team so that you can take weekends off, achieve a four hour work week and scale your business so that you can travel.

- How to stay inspired and creative when it comes to running your business.

- How to think beyond your service business and become an expert in your field.

- Kristin shares her new book that’s full of step by step instructions for moving your business forward. She also includes tips that her coaching clients have implemented to increase their sales and improve their margins.

- How to implement modern technology with your business so that you don’t lose clients to the big app giants just because they are looking for the ondemand booking and tracking experience.

- How Handlr can take your business to the next level by turning your business into a well-oiled system that can be sold as a viable business instead of just selling your client list for a fraction of the price.

Courtney DeDi founded DiOGi Pet Services in 2010 to provide exemplary, professional dog walking and pet sitting services to the in-town Atlanta neighborhoods specializing in caring for pets with behavioral issues and special needs. What began as a 2 person company, DiOGi quickly gained the confidence and love of Atlanta's people and pets. Today, with more than 23 employees, DiOGi has become Atlanta's number one resource for professional pet sitting, dog walking and dog training.

Courtney has always had a love of pets and has been working in the pet industry for more than 14 years. She is a PetTECH Pet First Aid and CPR instructor, a member of the ASPCA, has volunteered for many different Humane Societies, organized fundraisers for EARS – (Emergency Animal Rescue Services) during the Hurricane Katrina Rescue Effort, worked as a dog handler and Assistant Manager for Central Bark Doggy Day Care in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and is now the Executive Director of a nonprofit called DiOGi CARES in addition to volunteering with other pet rescue groups. She is a graduate of the National Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program and continues to participate in small business programs to continue shaping DiOGi Pet Services into the best dog walking and pet sitting company possible. This summer, Courtney is opening Club DiOGi, a boutique, high-end daycare and grooming salon. She and her staff are committed to providing the best care for all of Atlanta’s pets when their humans are at work and play.

In this episode you’ll learn:

- How to start a pet care business with zero upfront capital

- Whether or not you should go cold turkey and start your business, or have a side gig while you get it started

- How to network like a boss and be a leader in your community

- How to open a boutique dog daycare to complement your dog walking business

- How to know when you should bring on your first team member

- How to create leadership roles within your company and create fun goals to achieve a positive culture

- How Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program inspired Courtney to scale her business and achieve her dream of opening up her boutique dog daycare

- Why finding a niche is key to creating a successful business

- How Handlr has helped DiOGi continue to scale by offering a local and professional option for ondemand scheduling for their clients

- Why it’s important to offer your clients an ondemand app so that they don’t look for the convenience that apps like Wag and Rover offer

- How using Handlr keeps your client list private and protects your business’ assets by providing a three-way chat to give your clients, management and staff a way to streamline communication

- Why it’s better to find a software that works well for your business instead of building it from scratch

- How to create a company culture when you own a mobile service business

- Why Club DiOGi is a whole new type of doggy daycare that is committed to protecting your dog’s mental and physical well being. Club DiOGi provides a calm, safe and fun space for little dogs. By providing small, personalized groups, training games, Zen nap rooms, and even doggy puzzles, Club DiOGi aims to treat their canine members like royalty.

- How to plan and budget for opening up a brick-and-mortar business

- How to be a rockstar entrepreneur

Courtney’s favorite saying:

“I will not be governed by the tranny of immediacy” - unknown

In this episode, we sit down with Adina Silberstein who is the founder, President and CEO of award-winning, Philadelphia-based professional pet sitting, dog walking and force-free, holistic wellness company, Queenie’s Pets®, one of the largest pet care companies in the city. She is a business and leadership coach and a Certified Canine Massage Therapist. Adina is committed to making the lives of pets and their humans better by supporting her clients & communities in learning and practicing holistic, fear-free, force-free and pain-free care for all companion animals. Adina is an active member of many professional associations, including Pet Sitters International, National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, the Pet Professional Guild and more. Adina sits on the Philadelphia Animal Advisory Committee, a team of 10 pet professionals from across the animal disciplines that advises Philadelphia City Council and the city’s Mayor on all matters of the laws governing animals and their management - from companion animals, to the equine police units to wildlife and oversight of the main city shelter.

Adina is a writer for national & local pet-related blogs, including Dogster.com, Catster.com & thephillydog.com. A graduate of American University as well as the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.

In this episode you’ll learn:

- How to take really good care of your employees

- How to take your mobile service business to the next level by creating systems and processes that prioritize efficiency, boundaries and profitability

- The pros and cons of opening up a brick-and-mortar shop for your mobile service business

- The importance of continuous business education in order to be a solid leader

- The benefits of working with a business coach like Adina

- How to get involved in your community to grow your business and give back

Do you own a dog walking business and you're thinking about becoming a dog trainer, but don't know where to start? Have you always dreamed of working with dogs and becoming an expert? In this episode of Handling Business, we sit down with Kim Sauer of Sit n’ Stay Professional Pet Services who is a true expert and leader in the pet care industry.

Kim Sauer's fascination with dog training took off in 1997 when she started assisting a local trainer using a clicker in exchange for helping her with her own aggressive dog. Her interest grew as she learned how much she loved working with animals and enjoyed seeing the transformation in both the dogs and the owners. Kim opened her pet sitting and dog walking business, Sit n' Stay Pet Services in hopes that the fields would complement each other. Kim hired her first employee in 2005 and has steadily increased in size over the years to now have 30 pet sitters and dog walks, an office manager and 5 trainers on her team.

Kim first earned her certificate from Animal Behavior College in January 2002 becoming an ABC Certified Dog Trainer and then later became a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) in March of 2006. She is also an AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and AKC STAR Puppy Evaluator. In 2006 Kim became an ABC Mentor Trainer and also a CATCH Dog Training Program Mentor Trainer and is now helping others to realize their dream of becoming a dog trainer! Kim became a PetTech Pet First Aid Instructor back in 2006 and in 2012 became a Mentor Trainer with PetTech, helping others to become PetTech Instructors as well.

Kim's specialty is working with families owning pets who plan to bring a baby into the household. She was the trainer for the SPCA serving Erie County's Baby Ready Pets Program for 7 years, the the trainer for the SPCA serving Erie County's Teaching Love and Compassion Program (TLC) to inner city at-risk youth program for 5 years, and the trainer for the SPCA Serving Erie County's Paws for Love Therapy Dog Program Evaluator. Kim is also a current Licensed Educator for the Dogs & Storks Program and the Dog and Toddlers Program.

Kim credits most of her education to her own dogs- Blaze, Nigel, Greta, Coop and the many cats and sugar gliders she has shared her home with. Kim believes that every animal (and human), come into your life to teach you something.

In this episode you’ll learn how to...

-Become a certified trainer and develop a solid program or partner with other programs who already have great resources, handouts and outlines

-Enroll in a dog training program with CATCH Dog Trainers Academy, Karen Pryor Academy or Animal Behavior College, and work towards becoming a Certified Professional Dog Trainer which is a separate certification from a dog training program

-Become a mentor trainer through CATCH or PetTech as a way to give back to your community and bring in a good flow of potential dog trainers for your growing dog training business

-Find great employees and motivate them to be dedicated to your team long term

Books that Kim loves…

-Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey

-The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

Favorite takeaway…

“You can’t train people to be friendly, you need to hire friendly people. You can teach people how to take great care of animals, but you can’t always train people to have a certain personality type."

Kristen Lee is two parts serious business strategist, one part fairy godmother with a double dose of Jersey, and she’s also the Founder & President of Kristen Lee Consulting, LLC (formerly Thrive).

Kristen is a dog business consultant, marketing expert, high-end sales ninja, mindset and personal development thought leader.

She’s also a continuous education and improvement junkie; always placing herself in the student seat.

And her vision?

Creating massive empires for dog business professionals, empowering industry leaders while accumulating wealth and FREEDOM in their businesses.

If she's not traveling the world on the search for business knowledge bombs to bring back to the dog biz industry, you can find her at her home in hipster Durham, NC with her hubby Frank, two dogs and one cat who thinks he's a dog.

In this episode, Kristen and Britt cover a wide range of topics and narrow in on getting clear on what your niche is in order to find your tribe. Kristen is a firm believer that you have to identify your tribe as the first building block in forming your marketing and sales plan so that you don’t waste time and money knocking on the wrong doors.

Kristen also talks about how important it is to cultivate your tribe and build a community so that when it comes to big “asks” it’s easier to communicate with your clients about writing reviews or spreading word of mouth about your business. Becoming the leader of your tribe also builds credibility as an expert, which leads to other great opportunities and more revenue streams.

Kristen shares what to do about good, bad and ugly reviews and how to deal with them in the most positive way. This episode is jam packed with good advice so don’t miss it!

Have you ever asked yourself, “What if I could do 60,000 appointments in one year?” This exemplary business woman has accomplished just that. In this episode of Handling Business, we interview Joette White - award-winning business owner, board member, wife, mother, actress and active community member. She has owned Park Cities Pet Sitter since 2002 and has dedicated herself to creating the very best pet care business by investing in her employees happiness and well-being. Because of Joette’s exemplary business practices, her company was awarded NAPPS’ 2017 Business of the Year, a national award given to a pet sitting company that demonstrates outstanding business practices and vision in maintaining and growing their business. Park Cities Pet Sitter has also won many local-based awards, including Angie’s List Super Service Award for the last 5 consecutive years, “Best of Dallas” by D Magazine, and has been featured on WFAA Channel 8, Dallas Voice, and The Dallas Observer.

In this episode we discuss how Joette bought her business over a decade ago and took it from a few pet sitters to 47 pet sitters who take care of thousands of clients. Joette shares how she continually adapts and makes changes to her business as it scales. She also talks about how she made the switch from independent contractors to employees and how this big shift might not cost as much as you think. Last year, Joette purchased her second pet sitting business to merge with her Park Cities Pet Sitter and stresses how important it is to do your due diligence when purchasing a business. There’s many factors you must consider such as, does their business model align with your own? Is the current business owner able to step away? How are the clients going to react to this switch and how do you mitigate the risks?

The biggest takeaway from this episode is what makes Joette so successful. She believes that you get back what you give and that we are all connected and we are all human. It’s all about relationships with your clients and staff that are based on compassion, healthy boundaries, empathy, loyalty and trust. Many people in the pet industry think that they only need to be good with pets, but they must be equally great with people too or be able to bring on a business partner who is. Joette also insisted that success is not only all about your client’s happiness, it’s actually all about your team’s happiness. Your clients will be happy if your team is. Joette contributes her success to her outstanding team and their dedication to providing her clients with exemplary, high quality service.

Becky O'Neil is the Founder and President of Becky's Pet Care, one of the country's largest and most successful pet care businesses. Based in Northern Virginia, Becky and her team take care of over 4,500 clients and employ 150 dog walkers and sitters. Becky started her business as a one woman show writing her schedule down in a planner and over the years made huge leaps forward to create systems and processes that have allowed her to continually scale. In this episode, we talk about how Becky's forward thinking mentality, strategic planning and diligent system reviews that propel her business forward. If you are just starting your business or you're looking for ways to take your pet sitting or dog walking business to the next level, this episode will inspire you to think big and take action!